Securing and driving means for rotatable magazine-contained spool



Nov. 3, 1953 F. H. OWENS 2,657,869

SECURINGAND DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATABLE MAGAZINE-CONTAINED SPOOL Filed June 14, 1946 2 SheetsSheet 1 E INVENTOR FIG? figmnn A4 Ou/MJ ATTORNEYs Nov. 3, 1953 F H OWENS 2,657,869

SECURING AND DR'IVIING MEANS FOR ROTATABLE MAGAZINE-CONTAINED SPOOL Filed June '14, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 -INVENTOR Patented Nov. 3, 1853 PATE"NT ICE "ISECUR NGaAND;DBIVINGHMEANS2E0R R0- Y "ITA ABIQEMAGAZINE CQN'EAINEIBS'BQQL eFreeman H;:0wens, NeWYQz-kgNJY.

7 Application J unenld, 1946;?Berhi9N02-676303 5 Claims; (Cl. 242+) on-*-the apparatus. Parts-of thisinvention have m more specific applicability to: apparatus in" which atwd-directionally protatable driving; means' is adapted to transmit that rotation in Zone directi-onenly;

venue-many a plications to which this inven Hon-pertains there maybe mentioned as most important;"motion picture cameras motioni picture "projectors; photographica 11y recorded sound track reproducers, and" magnetic wire cm tape reproducers.

andj illustrated with respect .to the 'lastiof "these applications, and is*shownyingconjunction with a magnetic tape recordingand fiproducing apparatus the-variouselements' of which are described with; particularity" inmyi copenidina. a i ation 25 fOI'jLEttBIS' Patent, Serial "No:- 655 ;965f,'fi1edjMarch 2171946. It is" to'be gunderstood, ih0wever, 'fthat this apparatus has" been selected "by way. 171 ii1us-' ftration'oniy and thevariousgparts theifflof, except asg pecificaily claimed herein; formiino. partiot eo the presentinvention. "Qn'the contriaryitas, has above been 'setforth, this invention is applicable to many types of apparatus.

"For; convenience. oftonerationi andparticularly e vention is hereimdescribed theetapeiiisaunwoundebeadrivenqineunwmdinsc direction. and J-i-ndeedwit is preferable athatrwth unwindingg spo01- be::f1;ee t0 rotatesatzwhatever. a spe dinecessary;itoaaccommodate: itself; tecthe speedl at whichfithes winding 1 spool -is'.:d1-iven.

, Its-is, thereforea a prime object' oi. the present invention: tocdetiseaaka-mag zine: s ru u e 0 taining one pramorecspoolsq rotatabl'y-c mounted therein," in -t-whicherotatioh of; the-spools is; re- VfilltGfLsllIltil; such. J1me; asp-the:- magazine -1sz-iii Drone-11+ position .ony-theig paratus in conjunction with which itsisto beamed.

It is another obiect -ofi. the present invention t. to provide". a .novel drivingmeanstto ibe-iused-dn conjunction.withrsucha magazinesmconstructed that rotation of ,thadniving means. in one {direction .-wi11-,-be,,transmittedito the spool withiwhich it isrdriwtingly connectfidaandirotationof atheudriv- X ingameanseint the other, vdirection twilltsnot be transmitted ttoithatrspo lt th DODL: thus bein freevtourotate. 7

It is yet anpthersqbject ofthepresentrinvemtion to provide such a driving means which has embodied within it afrtctionmelief of novel design so that ,ifiihe spool oricertain other: parts, oLthe driving; means ,ish'onld; for. any. reasommnotl be free to. rotate at 'th'e speed, at which other, parts o1:?thejdrivinameansgarev, rotating, the; friction" relief =wlllfs ip. and ithus. preventydamage 'tonthe 'equi mentpr 'al ilfpartfthereof.

It is y t anothercobject "of vthe 'present invention *torcombine mechanism embodying the. above objects" into a; sim'plmcompact structure particularly adapte'dfor use in small, home 'styleapparat .ielimin'ate rthe' vexin operation, ofithreadinggflas Whatever nature-desiredandimit readina-it.is. desirable in apparatusiof the type described to havethe film, magnetic 'wire..or magnetic tape woundvuponma pair. bi spools which are containedLwi-thin a ma azinelike ftstructure which, is adapted to.,be removed ,40

rfrcmpr replacedupon the reproducinaapparatus a a a Whil th ma azine ,.is .nctciniplace. upon'the apparatus, it is essentiahthat the spools upon which, .for example, thehmagnetichtape-is wound;rbeanonwrotatable in ordetithatpthe :tape 5 "not be prematurely unwound or; dethreaded therefrom. "I When the magazine is paced. ihioperative position upon theareproducing apparatus; .howeven. i it is likewise essential,ithatkthe s p0o 1s.,be

eaandf imulta ouslyru woundtromtthe other. In the .winding.; and unwinding; ,ppetation; it; is also necessary.-..that the, spoolhuponawhich the tape is to beiwoundgbe suitably:,drivensinv-rotation .oftathe-isnoolv. within-r the To tithe"; accomplishment "of i the foregoing ,ob-

jects and such ptheri bjects ,as may hereinafter n t ompan in specification taken. together with'the; drawings inlwhi h t .Eig; 1 is .a .top.yiew,-..with parts brokenawa i of ,g a, .ma neticgtape irecording and reproducing.

maratusv embodyin the present e invention;

.E'i 2 .isa; viewhtaken; along theline' zen-Lets -F {ig;,.3,\,.is a cross-sectional view, ona {portion .01 rotatable o. that .the tape/,may beawounciiuponafi he pparatus with a mag-azinevnroperlx, seated thereon andishowine. the; d in Zmeans; vagrppr-i rotation inhibitingimeansflthereior;

fight-is; arr-viewntaken-ialongn, the ,IiHGWHi Of I tion, It is not essential that the spool from which "56' Fig. 3:

a azm aandathe Fig. is a view taken along the line 5-5 of Fi 3;

Fig. 6 is a view taken along the line 6-6 of Fi 3;

Fig. 7 is a view taken along the line 1--| of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a view taken along the line 8-3 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a view taken along the line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

Generic description Viewed in its broad aspects, my invention comprises a magazine, generally designated A, in which is housed one or more spools B, B, upon which is wound an element C, here shown in the form of a magnetizable tape which is adapted to be wound and unwound from and between the spools B and B. The magazine A, which is removable from and replaceable on an apparatus, generally designated E, which acts in conjunction with the tape C to record sound thereupon or reproduce the sound thus recorded, contains a rotation inhibiting means, generally designated D, which, when the magazine is not in proper position on the apparatus E, serves to inhibit or positively prevent undesired rotation of either of the spools B or B'. The apparatus E carries a releasing means, generally designated F, which is active upon the rotation inhibiting means D to render the same ineffective and thus render the spools B and B free to rotate with respect thereto whenever the magazine A is placed in its proper position on the apparatus E.

In order to render each of the spools B and B drivable in rotation in one direction and free to rotate in the other direction, a driving means G, G is provided engageable with the spools B, B when the magazine A assumes its proper position upon the apparatus E. A friction relief means H of novel design is incorporated in each of the driving means G, G in order to render the apparatus fool-proof in operation.

Apparatus The recording and reproducing apparatus E of my invention, as herein embodied by way of illustration, comprises a chassis 2 and a vertically removable top covertherefor 4. Resting on flanges 6, 6 extending around the interior of said chassis 2 and resiliently supported thereon by the rubber gasket 8 is a framework, generally designated it, which supports and holds in operative relation all of the other parts of the apparatus. Appropriately placed on the chassis 2 is an access door which may, by means of handle l2, be rotated about hinges l4, I4 so as to render accessible an inclined control panel [(3 inside of the apparatus. A motor I8 is supported in housing (part of which is broken away in Fig. 2) in such a manner that a worm gear attached to the motor shaft meshes in driving relation with worm wheel 22. To this wheel is attached friction pulley 24 and shaft 26, the latter being mounted in the framework It by means of ball bearing units 28 and 30 (see Fig. 2). At its upper extremity the shaft 26 is attached to drum 32 so that rotation of the motor it rotates the drum 32 in a direction and at a speed determined by the direction and speed of rotation of the motor 18.

Shafts 34 and 36 (see Fig. 2) are rotatably mounted in bushings 33 and 46 respectively and each carries at its upper end the means G, G for driving the spools B, B' in rotation, the latter being so constructed, as will be described hereinafter more in detail, that rotation of the shafts 34 and 36 in one direction will be transmitted through the driving means G, G, while rotation of said shafts 34 and 36 in the opposite direction will not be so transmitted.

Attached to the lower extremity of the shaft 34 is a. friction pulley 42, and attached to the lower extremity of shaft 36 are friction pulleys 44 and 46. Friction pulley 46 is mounted coplanar with friction pulley 24, and spring belt 48 connects the two in driving relationship. Friction pulley 42 is positioned coplanar with friction pulley 44, and spring belt 50 connects the two in driving relationship.

Thus it will be apparent that rotation of the motor I3 will rotate shaft 26 by means of the worm gear and worm wheel 22, thus rotating drum 32 and friction pulley 24. By means of the spring belt 43 friction pulley 46 will be rotated thus rotating shaft 36 and friction pulley 44, and by means of spring belt 56 that rotation will in turn be transmitted to friction pulley 42 and shaft 34. All three of the shafts 26, 34 and 36 will rotate in the same direction, that direction being determined by the direction of rotation of the motor [8.

The element C, which in this embodiment is in the form of a magnetizable tape, the magnetic variations in which correspond to the sound to be reproduced, is housed in the removable magazine A and is wound on spools B and B therein. In passing from one spool to the next the tape passes over rollers 52, 54 and 56 (see Fig. 1). The magazine is concavely cut away at one end between the rollers 54 and 56, as at 58, in order to permit access to the tape C at that point, the point nearest the drum 32, in order that the tape C may be threaded over the drum 32.

When the magazine A is in its proper position on the apparatus, the lower ends of the spools B and B will be engaged in an appropriate manner bythe driving means G and G and by the releasing means F, as hereinafter described more in detail. In order to ensure accurate positioning of the magazine A on the apparatus E and in order to ensure that when once positioned it will remain in its proper position so long as desired, the framework It! is provided with a projecting pin 60 adapted to fit into a suitably placed orifice in the magazine A.

Each spool B, B may comprise two concentric discs 62, 62' and 64, 64', respectively, so that the ends of the tape C may be secured to the spools by being bent between said two concentric discs, in a manner well-known in the art.

Threading of the tape C over the drum 32 is accomplished as shown in Fig. 1, the tape first being threaded inwardly with respect to the two flanged guide rollers 66 and 68 and then threaded over the outer circumference of the drum 32.

With the tape C in the relative position with respect to the spools B and B, as shown in Fig. l, and assuming that it is desired to take up the tape on spool B, it is apparent that spool B must rotate in clockwise direction. Drum 32 must also rotate in a clockwise direction and in order for the tape C to unwind from spool B it must rotate in the same direction. If the tape C is to move past the magnetizing means, generally designated 10, and contacting means, generally designated 12, at a constant speed, as is desirable if fidelity of reproduction is to be The cup is attached to a-cam I26 which is provided with a plurality of outwardly inclined side cam surfaces I28. The cam is in turn enveloped by a driven member I30, also of cup shape, between the depending cup forming flange I3I of which and the side cam surfaces I28 are defined a plurality of ball receiving spaces I32 in which balls I34 are housed. When the cam I26 of Fig. is rotated in a clockwise direction, centrifugal force plus the shape of the outwardly inclined side cam surfaces I28 force the balls I34 outwardly. The balls thus wedge themselves between the cam I26 and the flange I3I of the driven member I30 so that rotation of the cam I26 is transmitted to the driven member I30. In order to ensure positive action on the part of the balls I34, helical springs I36 may be provided one end of which is housed within the cam I26 and the other end of which bears against the ball I34 to urge it outwardly along the cam surface I 28.

Ifthe cam I 26 of Fig. 5 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, the balls I34 will no longer be urged into wedging relation between the cam I26 and the driven member I30 but will instead be urged in the opposite direction. Consequently, rotation of the cam I26 will not be transmitted to the driven member I30 and the driven member I30 will thus be free to rotate.

In the apparatus as disclosed, it is with respect solely to the shape of the cam I26 that the two driving means G and G differ, the cam I26 I for the driving means G being opposite in shape to that for the driving means G so that rotation in the opposite direction is transmittable therethrough.

The upper surface of the driven member I30 is provided with a plurality of fingers I38 so positioned and of such a height that when the magazine A is properly positioned upon the apparatus E, the fingers I38 are engaged within the slots 80 of the disc 18. When this engagement obtains, any rotation imparted to the driven member I30 is likewise imparted to the spool B, thereby driving the same. Conversely, whenever the driven member I30 is free to rotate with respect to the cam I25, the spool B to which it is connected is likewise free to rotate.

By the simple, compact and easily constructed mechanism above described, I have produced a driving means drivable in two directions which transmits to the spool driven thereby rotation in one direction only, the desired direction being obtained by suitable shaping of the cam I26. When the driving means rotates in the non-transmissive direction, the spool with which it is connected is free to rotate at any speed. Inherent in the driving means as thus constructed is a friction relief mechanism of novel and simple construction interposed between the driving shaft 34 and the remainder of the driving means and the driven means so that in the event that any part of the latter should become stuck or jammed, further damage to the apparatus will not take place and so that the speed of rotation of the driven spool can vary while the speed of rotation of the driving means remains constant.

This driving means is here shown as used in conjunction with a removable magazine containing the spool element to be driven. This magazine is provided with mechanism whereby rotation of the spool, while the magazine is removed from or is not in proper position on the apparatus, is prevented. However, when the magazine is properly placed upon the apparatus, the mechanism which prevents rotation of the spool Is rendered ineffective and simultaneously the driving means is connected to the spool for driving thereof.

With the spool rotation inhibiting mechanism as herein described accidental rotation of the spool, while the magazine is removed from the apparatus is prevented, but if such rotation is desired, it may, of course, be obtained merely by the exertion of inward manual pressure upon the disc 62.

It will be apparent that many changes may be made in the details of the construction as herein illustrated without departing from the spirit of the invention as sought to be defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A magazine comprising a casing, a spool rotatably mounted therein, a disk mounted on the exterior of said casing and connected to said spool for rotation therewith by means of a shaft passing through a wall of said casing, said disk being provided with an opening, an annular plate mounted between said casing wall and said disc and surrounding said shaft, said casing wall having an opening in the outer surface thereof and said annular plate having a finger receivable in said opening so as to restrain said plate from movement in the direction of rotation of said disk, said finger being movable within said opening so as to permit said plate to move in a direction toward and away from said disk, resilient means active between said plate and said casing wall and effective to urge said plate toward said disk, and a downward projection on said plate engageable with the opening in said disk when said plate is urged toward said disk by the action of said spring and disengageable therefrom when said plate is moved toward said casing wall, as by engagement with an element outside said casing.

2. In the magazine of claim 1, two pairs of diametrically opposed openings in the outer surface of said casing wall, a pair of diametrically opposed fingers extending from said plate into a first pair of said openings, the other pair of said openings containing springs retained therein and defining said resilient means active between said plate and said casing wall.

3. In the magazine of claim 2, a second pair of diametrically opposed fingers projecting from said plate into said other pair of openings in said casing wall, said springs retained in said openings surrounding said fingers.

4. In the magazine of claim 1, a pair of diametrically opposed openings in the outer surface of said casing wall substantially in line with the outer periphery of said annular plate, a second pair of diametrically opposed openings in the outer surface of said casing wall substantially in line with the inner periphery of said annular plate, said downward projection on said plate extending from the inner periphery of said plate, said resilient means active between said plate and said casing wall being defined by springs retained within said second mentioned pair of openings in said casing wall, and a pair of diametrically opposed fingers extending upwardly from the outer periphery of said plate and received within said first pair of openings in said casing wall.

5. In the magazine of claim 4, a second pair of diametrically opposed fingers extending upwardly from the inner periphery of said plate into said second pair of openings in said casing wall, said springs retained within said openings surrounding said last mentioned fingers.

FREEMAN H. OWENS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Davis Mar. 29, 1921 Hornauer Apr. 10, 1928 Laudenbach Apr. 16, 1935 Fairbanks June 6, 1939 Foster July 2, 1940 Number 10 Name Date Heller et a1. June 15, 1943 Del Valle Mar. 14, 1944 Tasker May 16, 1944 Cunningham July 3, 1945 Owens Sept. 11, 1945 Lear Mar. 23, 1948 Owens Nov. 30, 1948 Swannberg Dec. 6, 1949 Ianelli Feb. 28, 1950 Swanson May 30, 1950 

